Real Madrid vs Al-Hilal prediction: WORLD: FIFA Club World Cup betting tips on match 2023-02-10 19:00.
Assisted by three of their four goals in this tournament coming from the penalty spot, alongside regulation time red cards to both of their opponents, Al-Hilal became the first club from Saudi Arabia to reach a Club World Cup (CWC) final. They have earned themselves a date in Rabat with the kings of this competition and four-time winners Real Madrid, who beat Egypt’s Al Ahly 4-1 thanks in part to a brace of injury-time goals, in what could be another ‘royally’ riveting battle.
The Spanish giants have a perfect record in CWC finals, collecting all four of their trophies between 2014 and 2018 with an impressive 11 goals scored to just three conceded, and a trio of regulation time victories. It was current boss Carlo Ancelotti who steered Real to the first in 2014, adding to the 2007 CWC the distinguished journeyman won with AC Milan in 2007.
Underdogs Al-Hilal qualified for a second consecutive CWC courtesy of the 2022 AFC Champions League having not yet been concluded, and they will be back defending their continental crown next weekend when their Round of 16 tie takes place. As the first AFC representative to reach this final since the UAE’s Al-Ain in 2018, they’ll now look to go one better and become the first Asian club to lift the trophy. “We are happy about everything,” hailed elated manager Ramón Díaz, who also managed River Plate in the 1996 Intercontinental Cup – an annual match between the European and South American champions prior to the CWC’s foundation.
This will cap off an exciting month for many of Al-Hilal’s players, particularly those who recently took on a full strength PSG in front of 68,000 people in an “All-Star” team combined with Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr. Ironically, they’re currently in a top-five logjam with Al Nassr in the Saudi Pro League, and so this CWC may have come at an inopportune time in a busy schedule despite the tournament’s prestige and prize money.
Players to watch: After alternating between scoring and failing to do so in his last seven competitive outings, Madrid midfielder and scorer against Al Ahly, Federico Valverde, will be hoping to break that pattern here with back-to-back goals. Al-Hilal legend Salem Al-Dawsari, goalscorer in three of his last six competitive starts and with 200 club games under his belt, has played just one professional game for another club in his entire career – and that was against Real Madrid (a sole appearance on loan to Villarreal)!
Hot stat: Only five of the 18 CWC finals have seen both sides score.